Apparatus for curling textile yarns



March 3, 1959 w. MATTHEWS ETAL 2,875,502

APPARATUS FOR CURLING TEXTILE YARNS I Filed April 10, 1953 3Sheets-Sheet 1 YINVENTORS. H0 Ward WMafi/ie W$&

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BY WST TORNEYSQ I March 3, 1 9 H. w. MATTHEWS ET AL 2,875,502

v v APPARATUS FOR CURLING TEXTILE YARNS Filed April 10, 1953 3 sheetssheet 2 INVENTORS. Howard WMafi/IeWs & William 11'. Wail,

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w. MR THEws ETAL APPARATUS FOR CURLING TEXTILE YARNS March 3, 1959 I5Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April, 10, 1955 H QINVENTORS.

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United States Patent 2,875,502 APPARATUS FOR 'CURLING TEXTILE YARNSHoward W. Matthews and William K. Wyatt,

Pa., assignors to Turbo Machine Company, Lansdale, Pa., a corporation ofPennsylvania Application April 10, 1953, Serial No. 347,979

4 Claims. (Cl. 28-1) This invention relates to apparatus for curlingtextile yarns, particularly synthetic yarns of nylon and the like.

The chief aim of our invention is to provide a simple and reliableapparatus for curling textile yarns, of the kind referred to,continuously and rapidly incident to winding them on spools or cops inpreparation for use in the production of woven or knitted fabrics.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the followingdetailed description of the attached drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a fragmentary view in perspective of a yarn curling apparatusconveniently embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of aportion of the apparatus, likewise in perspective, drawn to a largerscale.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in top plan with the curling element of theapparatus shown in horizontal section.

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of said element.

Fig. 6 is a view like Fig. 3, but showing the curling element retractedto facilitate initial threading of the yarn in the apparatus; and

Fig. 7 is a view like Fig. 1 showing an alternative embodiment of ourinvention.

As herein exemplified, our improved yarn curling apparatus comprises asupport in the form of a plank 10 which is horizontally sustained byarms 11 at the front of a winding mechanism, said mechanism including alongitudinal shaft 12 with drive wheels 13 for rotating a take-up spoolS whereon the yarn Y is collected after being curled, and a traversingguide 14 for distributing the yarn on the spool. Mounted on plank 10 isa fiat sided post 15 which is wedge shaped in cross section, radial toand rigid with a circular base 15a having, a pendent axial stem 15b (seeFigs. 4 and 5) engaged downwardly into said plank. Clamped to one sideface of the post 15 by a pair of vertically-spaced screw secured plates16 is a vertically arranged knife-like blade 17 having a sharp edge 17a.As shown, the blade 17 is so adjusted that its edge 17a projectssomewhat beyond the wedge edge of the post.

In the interval between the clamp plates 16, the post 15 is provided,for a purpose presently explained, with a narrow groove 18 which extendstransversely of one side and of the front and back of said post.Stationed respectively beyond opposite sides and rearwardly of the post15 on the plank 10 is a pair of laterally-spaced guide eyes 19 and 20;and fixedly supported on said plank between the post and the eye 19 is ayarn tensioning device 21 which comprises a cylindric base component 22,and a cap disk 23 capable of free rotative movement about an upwardaxial stud projection 24 of said base component. Also mounted on plank10 is an electric heating device 25 comprising a small loop 26 ofresistance wire whereof the terminals are secured in a block 27 ofinsulation at the top of a stand 28, said device being so locatedrelative to post 15 that its loop extends into close proximity to thecutting edge of blade 17 at the elevation of the groove 18 when saidpost is normally positioned as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. When sopositioned, the

Souderton,

2,875,502 Patented Mar. 3, 1959 post 15 is held against accidentalrotation by its own weight, and through friction of its basal disk 15awith the table 10, the pull on the yarn being light and its path beingin a straight line between the curling edge 17a and the guide 20.

To retract the blade 17 from the heating loop 26a and facilitate initialthreading of the yarn Y to be curled in the apparatus, the post 15 isturned by hand to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 6. With thispreparation, the yarn end Y taken from a source of supply (not shown) isdrawn upward from beneath the plank 10, then passed through the guideeye 19, then beneath the disk 23 of tensioning device 21, then aroundthe groove 18 in post 15, then through the, guide eye 20, then up to andthrough the traversing guide 14 of the winding mechanism and finallyattached to the collecting spool S. Post 15 is thereafter turned back tothe operative position in which it is shown in Fig. 3. All being now inreadiness, electric current is turned on to heating device 25 and thewinding machine set in motion. It is to be noted that due to thelocation of the guide eyes 19 and 20 relative to the post 15, the yarnY, under the pull of revolving spool S, is drawn across the curling edgeof the blade 17 at a very sharp angle'immediately after being somewhatsoftened or plasticized by the heat from the wire loop 26 of the heatingdevice 25, it being maintained all the while under a light but definitetension by the tensioning device 21. In traversing the interval betweenthe post 15 and the winding spool S, the yarn Y is afforded anopportunity to cool, with the result that the curls formed therein as atC in Figs. l-3 incident to its passage about the edge of the blade 17,become set against subsequent deformation. The extent to which,

passed about a grooved roll 32 on a horizontal spindle V 33 whereof theends are rotatively supported in notched brackets 35 on the windingmachine. Also atfixed to spindle 33 is a plain faced roll 36 which is infrictional engagement with a drive wheel 37 on shaft 12 of the windingmachine. From roll 32, the yarn Y is directed by the guide 19 on theplank 10 to the curling device from whence it passes through the fixedguide 20 and the traversing guide 14 to the receiving spool S. Thus, inthis instance, the yarn Y is drawn from the supply source at a definiterate and fed to the curling device by the action of the roll 36, therequired tension being maintained on the yarn through the pull inducedby the rotating collecting spool S.

Having thus described our invention, We claim:

1. In apparatus for curling textile yarn, a curling means comprising afiat-sided post which is wedged shaped in cross section and asharp-edged blade adjustably and removably secured to one of the fiatsides of the post, said blade having its sharp edge projecting beyondthe wedge point of the post to provide a curling edge; a pair of spacedyarn guides disposed behind the post to cause the yarn to pass at anacute angle about the curling edge; and a heating means positioned toheat the yarn just before its passage about the curling edge.

2. Yarn curling apparatus according to claim 1, where in the post isprovided in the flat side opposite to that occupied by the blade with atransverse groove for traverse by the yarn after it has passed about thecurling edge.

3. Yarn curling apparatus according to claim 1, where- 3. curling edge.as considered with respect to, the direction of travel of the yarn.

4. Yarn curling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heatingmeans is inthe form of a loop of elecbe turned through a partialrotation for retraction of the curling blade away from the heating loopto facilitate threading of the yarn in the apparatus.

trically-heated resistance wire positioned closely adjacent 5 ReferencesCited in the file of this patent the blade of the curling means slightlyrearward of the UNITED STATES PATENTS curling edge as considered withrespect to the direction 2,245,874 Robinson June 17, 1941 of travel ofthe yarn; and wherein the post is radial to i and rigid with a basaldisk having a pendent axial stud 10 FOREIFHTI PATENTS rotatively engagedin the support,'whereby the post can 558,297 Gr i n, Dem 1943

